(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for determining whether driving of a hybrid vehicle is disabled (“disablement” of the vehicle).
(b) Description of the Related Art
According to a need for enhancement of vehicle fuel consumption, and the strengthening of an exhaust gas regulation in each country, there is increased demand for an environmentally-friendly vehicle, and thus a hybrid vehicle receives much attention. The typical hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a transmission, a electrically driven motor, an inverter, and a battery. In particular, the engine, the transmission, the motor, the inverter, and the battery are adapted to generate target driving torque by control of a control portion.
In a case of a gasoline or a diesel vehicle, a driver can perceive whether the engine is started by the “running” (internal combustion) of the engine. Since the hybrid vehicle, however, can be driven by only the motor, the engine may not be operated/running after starting. Therefore, the hybrid vehicle should inform the driver of “enablement” of vehicle's driving, e.g., the ability to drive the vehicle. Typically, the hybrid vehicle informs the driver of the enablement of vehicle's driving by turning on a ‘system ready’ lamp installed at an instrument. Thus, a ‘system ready’ means a state at which the vehicle can run in this specification.
However, there are reasons why a vehicle may not run during a normal operation after the system ready lamp is turned on. For example, if a transmission is out-of-order, the vehicle cannot run. In this case, “disablement” of vehicle's driving should be informed to the driver, i.e., the inability to drive the vehicle.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.